From celebrity ‘deaths’ on Twitter to an Elton John edited edition of The Independent, from the launch at Sydney Harbour Bridge to the red spotlights on the London Eye, today’s marketing news is filled with stories about 2010′s World AIDS Day.

This year’s World AIDS Day is to be characterised by its goal to “turn the world (Red)” – the aim of the flagship JoinRed campaign. Launched at Sydney’s Harbour Bridge by U2 front man Bono, this year’s campaign sees landmarks in city’s around the world bathed in red light to promote awareness of the fatal disease.

These landmarks include several locations in the UK – St. Paul’s Cathedral and the London Eye, as well as Manchester Airport, Stansted and Gatwick - as well as others in 85 different cities, such as New York’s Empire State Building, Cape Town’s Table Mountain and Madrid’s Puerta de Alcala.

Beyond prominent displays of the signatory colour of the campaign, World’s Aids Day is being promoted by a celebrity driven “Digital Death” fundraising campaign. Brand Republic reports that celebrities including P. Diddy, Elijah Wood, Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake will all ‘kill’ their online profiles as part of the campaign.

Effectively signing off from all social networking platforms, the participating celebrities have pledged to only reactivate their accounts – and ‘return to life’ – after $1m has been collectively raised for the AIDS charity Keep a Child Alive (KCA). The final messages on the celebrities’ Twitter accounts will direct fans to personal pages on KCA donation site buylife.org, where they have left a “last tweet and testament video” alongside symbolic images of themselves lying in coffins.

“We’re digitally dying to give real life,” said Ms Keys in Entertainment Online. “These artists are bringing much needed awareness to the millions of people actually dying in Africa and India from HIV/AIDS.”

Meanwhile in the UK, Sir Elton John has been invited – and accepted – the role of Editor of the Independent and its sister publication, i, for a special World Aids Day edition. With a heavy focus upon the plight of AIDS sufferers around the world and the dangerous spread of HIV in news, feature and commentary, all circulation revenues from these issues will be donated to the Elton John Aids Foundation.

“I was thrilled to be invited to guest edit The Independent,” said Sir Elton on Wednesday. “I’m pleased to get the chance to put the subject of AIDS at the top of the editorial agenda.”

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